


The Visitor to the Spire

by Violet_Dawn_001



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: All three Dreamers are fighting for the right to adopt the babies., Gen, Post-Embrace the Void Ending (Hollow Knight), The Dreamers live, headcannons, lots and lots of headcannons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:13:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25794931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Violet_Dawn_001/pseuds/Violet_Dawn_001
Summary: Ever since Lurien awoke from dreaming, things have been busy to say the least.However, this does not stop him from taking time out of his day to be a good host...Or skip out on chances to be a dad. If only for an afternoon.
Relationships: Hornet & Lurien the Watcher (Hollow Knight), Lurien the Watcher & Lurien the Watcher's Butler (Hollow Knight), Lurien the Watcher's Butler/Original Character, The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & Lurien the Watcher, The Knight & Lurien the Watcher (Hollow Knight)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 101





	1. Raindrops on Windowplanes

**Author's Note:**

> Story includes lots of head-cannons.  
> Please bear with me. 
> 
> One of them is Lurien's Butler  
> Since I headcannon Lurien to be Sherlock Holmes, he needs a Dr. Watson.  
> Introducing Ian Watson Butler! 
> 
> The name _Ian_ is a version of the name _John_ , even means the same thing.  
>  _Watson_ is an easter egg, though Lurien does call Ian Dr. Watson sometimes because Ian did graduate from medical school. (Really, Ian should take more pride in that.)  
>  _Butler_ came from the fact there was a real Ian Butler who lived in New Zealand. I honestly don't know anything about the guy except the name felt right as soon as I saw it.

The rain poured outside. This was a normal occurrence in the City of Tears. In fact, if it wasn’t raining, the Blue Lake above would be either be empty or time travel happened. Only those two options. However, it never rained this heavily before Lurien dreamt. The water always pattered or drizzled, never poured. 

But atlas… So much of Hallownest had been brought low. So many have fallen asleep to never awake. So many homes have been broken and abandoned. Even pathways have crumbled, despite being built to last centuries. It makes sense why the City’s tears would flow so heavily. The City is the capitol of Hallownest after-all. What happens to the nation will always be reflected in the capitol, even if its ruler refused to admit it. 

Lurien the Watcher sadly knew this truth. The very first victim of the Infection fell on the same day the first raindrops sprinkled down upon the City. The Watcher filed both reports himself. Then the poor vessels… 

The discovery chilled Lurien to the bone. The little one called Ghost needed help in understanding reports from different parts of the kingdom. So he had happily volunteered to assist them. Which promptly resulted in him being dragged down to the dream-locked White Palace. The two of them spent hours peering over long reports, mostly Lurien. The Little One had yet to master the art of reading very well. But they were so interested in trying to do everything right… 

Carrying on, Lurien had taken to sorting all the files and reports into piles for future reference. There upon the mess that was the Pale King’s, no, the former king’s desk were the reports regarding the vessels. Lurien hated the writing; it wrote more like one of Monomon’s science experiments than a statis report. 

However, the report which stuck out the most had a particular date on it. The day that the first batch of vessels were thrown into the Abyss to die was the same day that the whole cavern over the City broke into tears. Even the king noted its significance, for he bookmarked Lurien’s report next to the vessels’. 

_**He knew. The king could see and understand AND he still went onward with his plan.** _

Lurien did not know how he would greet the former king if he should return. Lurien could see himself treating the former monarch politely before shooing him out. All the warmth in their relationship would be gone, just cold, political politeness would remain. He could also see himself making sure the Wyrm understood that all the vessels were his wards now. His to be respected and cared for. Since the Pale King shirked his duties towards the vessels, the Watcher would take up both rights and responsibilities as their father. If the Beast ever let him…

Speaking of the Dreamers, the final report regarding the vessels amused Lurien. The day all four of them left this world for the dreaming, the City of Tears went from drizzling to pouring. If the Pale King refused to mourn as he did to care, then the City itself would do so for the Three Dreamers and the Hollow Knight. 

Lurien sighed as rose from his own desk in his Spire. There he was, getting too riled up in his anger again. A true gentleman knows better than to act so childish about important matters. 

“ _A true knight would have never allowed such horrendous tragedies occurred._ ” A little voice tormented him. 

To shake off the voice, Lurien walked over to the window. It was so pleasant to hear real rain once more. Lurien could relax all day and night here, just listening to the rain. Ghost liked it here too, Lurien happily thought. 

Hornet did not though. She found it so hard to just be still and relax. The Watcher did not blame her. The poor girl had been trapped in a war zone for years untold, the only fighter left on the raging battlefield. He would have to find some way to make it up to her. For now, a warm shelter out of the rain and ready to eat food would have to do. Those two things were the only gifts she would receive from him. 

Sighing yet again, Lurien moved from the window plane to his telescope. Perhaps he would spot the tiny king or the red warrior as they rushed on the city streets. Their visits were rare, but he enjoyed them enough. Or maybe Quirrel would be on his way to drop off some reports from Lady Monomon. Ever since the Infection ended, Lurien had grown eager to hear from the few friends he had left. 

Peering through his telescope, the Watcher oversaw the whole City of Tears. Chaos settled down with the decline of the Infection. There were few stragglers in the streets as most sane people tried to stay out of the rain. Even then, trouble in the City mysterious vanished once the Soul Sanctum was destroyed. Lurien was very disappointed in Ghost before he saw how the Soul Master assaulted his beloved City while he was dreaming. 

The few remaining nobles also caused less trouble compared to when Lurien saw them last. At the time of his dreaming, the nobles where beginning to falling into the vices of greed, pride, and sloth. Lurien had no doubt they would have continued that sort of behavior if he did not awake with the rise of the Shade Lord. Luckily for King Ghost and Princess Hornet, the nobles still respected the Watcher, no matter how long he had been dreaming. 

A glean caught Lurien’s lone eye. The light reflected off a white mask with curving-upward horns. A smile grew on Lurien’s lips as he expended his telescope’s lens to see all of and only the Fountain Square. The known figure stood before the Hollow Knight Memorial, the only respect the king gave the Pure Vessel. 

Lurien was not surprised the individual chose to linger there. All three pale children still dwelt on the sacrifices demanded of them. The Fountain symbolized all the costs they had to pay. The Watcher could only hope the Fountain symbolized gratitude towards the children as well. 

The figure finished their gazing and turned to leave. Yet before they did, they gazed up towards his watchtower. A black arm was raised in greeting, almost as if the waver knew Lurien was watching. Perhaps they did or perhaps they didn’t. Said person was unaware of the secret switch that connected the Fountain to the Spire. If they did, Lurien would have been well aware of their presence before spotting them. 

Just as if they did flick the switch, Lurien knew a visitor was coming to his spire today. Lurien quickly moved from his telescope to ring for his dear friend. It didn’t take long for him to arrive to his office. 

Ian Watson Butler was truly a loyal friend. Most only knew him as well, a butler. However, Lurien knew that Ian was far more gifted than just a butler. His observation skills, medical skills, and quick thinking had saved Lurien’s life on more than one occasion. There was no one else Lurien trusted more on his adventures, though Ian tended to call them “mis-adventures”. 

Ian entered the room, ready to assist Lurien with anything within reason. For example, helping with “ _baby black lizard who brings death by lighting_ ” was one of few things out of reason’s range. Today’s visit should go far better than that incident. 

“Ian, we will have a visitor staying with us today. I wish that you could set up the private sitting room with tea and cookies. Those wonderful cookies your wife invented would do nicely. They probably will not stay for dinner, so just some drinking water would be fine in the evening.” Lurien instructed, even though the visitor came often enough that they both knew the drill. 

“Would you like me to set up the training yard for you both as well?” Ian asked. The visitor did not like showing off to others. 

Lurien thought about it for a moment. “You can have Gladios ready the circle training yard. Tea comes first, as our visitor will be arriving soon.” 

Ian shook his head in amusement. “You know, our special visitors never to tell us when they are coming for an unofficial visit. They always just show up.” 

Lurien nodded in agreement. “Yes. Now, why do you think that is?” 

Ian tilted his head up in thought. Oh how Lurien missed those moments where they could bat off each other. “Little Ghost never seems to think about anything. They just _do_ everything to be honest. Though there was that one time they wrote a letter to ask you if they could come over.”

Lurien smiled warmly at the memory. “Yes. That was really sweet of them.” Lurien refused to hear the compliment about how sweet _he_ was in keeping that letter in his private drawer. 

“Hornet…I don’t think it is in her personality to think of such formalities either. Though it would be very polite of her to do so.” Ian almost growled on the last sentence. Hornet had more than once terrified the Lurien’s whole staff by showing up unexpected. Though, just because Ian had the worse end of that experience, does not mean he could act ungentlemanly. 

“She has lived in a world where formalities dragged matters down instead of resolving them. It would take time for her to adjust. Furthermore…” Lurien forced himself to look out into the rain. “I don’t think she likes admitting to herself that she can be someone else. A child who can trust and play again.” 

Ian raised an eyebrow. “Hornet is definitely not coming today, is she?” 

Lurien let out a musing hum as he turned back to face his friend. “Let’s not leave out the possibility she might show up later.”

Ian pinched his nose. “She is going to be so angry when she does.” He groaned. 

Lurien patted Ian. “Let us discuss Hollow as we walk down to the private sitting room. We have to get ready for our guest after all.” 

“Hollow is always happy when they come and sad when they leave. I am surprised they don’t visit more often.” Ian pondered. 

“Well, Hollow is still recovering after what happened. We were the lucky ones in this story.” Lurien said. 

Just saying the words brought back the Black Egg in Lurien’s mind. After realizing this awaking was not a dream along with his fellow Dreamers, Lurien rushed to the Black Egg. The poor child that was the Hollow Knight had been broken and burned. Lines had mattered the vessels’ cloak from void tears and orange goop, not that the cloak was savagable anyway due to dustmites eating it. One whole arm had been burnt and rotten away, the other limps so weak that only willpower kept Hollow marching. The worse was the eyes. One went blind by a damaged crack in Hollow’s mask. The other was so sad. Before they let themselves show emotion, Lurien could see the despair and brokenness Hollow felt in their remaining eye. 

Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one. Herrah had promptly picked up the Pure Vessel and carried them home to Deepnest, leaving Lurien and Monomon in the dust. Neither of them saw Hollow again till about a year later. 

Which was most likely the best option. Hollow had been looking so much better when they met again. Monomon confirmed that Hollow actually was. Physically. It didn’t take for anyone to guess that Hollow was still recovering mentally. Then Lurien uncovered the nightmare that was Hollow’s emotional state.

However, matters seemed to be looking up now. Hollow was getting support and allowed support to come their way. Every visit they seemed better than the last. 

Lurien had to focus on that. Hollow’s health was more important than his happiness being with them. All of them. 

The log snapped in front of him, bringing Lurien back to reality. He and Ian had set up the private sitting room already, without him even realizing it. There was a glowing fire before him and tea made behind his back. Ian looked at Lurien with pity. Nails and sparks, had Lurien blanked out that hard again? 

“Sorry Ian. I-” 

“It is no trouble Lurien.” Ian stopped him. “The room is ready and you are not burnt.” The bug pointed to Lurien’s sheave, close the firepit. 

Lurien snatched his robe away from the flames. They were not in any danger of burning, but when Ian warns of possible danger, he is usually right. “Are the cookies ready?” He asked his friend. 

Ian shook his head. “My wife’s special ginger-raisin cookies are not done baking yet. After I bring our visitor upstairs, I will go down to the cooks to collect them myself.” 

“Thank you, Ian for the cookies and everything else.” Lurien said as he rose. Those cookies really were a gift. 

Ian smiled. “My wife would be pleased that her cookies are being greatly enjoyed, even though she is gone. Besides,” Ian moved towards the door. “their sweet smell makes it seem as if she is still with us.” He disclosed before walking out of the room. 

Lurien breathed deeply out. He would not have to feel guilty about that particular matter today. Now he would have to wait. In the few minutes he had, Lurien pulled out some books, straightened the pillows, and tended the fire. In the last seconds, Lurien stared at the clock on the mantlepiece to make time go faster. 

It helped in the end. Ian knocked loudly on the door before opening it, letting the visitor walk in. Lurien turned from the clock to greet his quest. “Well, hello there Hollow. I am so happy you could join me for tea today.”


	2. Cookies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hollow's visit to the Spire!  
> I wonder how it will begin today.

Lurien beckoned Hallow to the velvet chairs. “Please, come sit down. You are always welcomed in my Spire.”

The tall vessel happily chose the chair closest to the warm firepit. Hollow comfortably sat down, wiggling till the perfect spot was found. Only when Hollow was settled did Lurien sit down himself. 

As Lurien poured the tea for both of them, Hollow pulled out a notepad and a pencil. The Watcher smiled faintly as Hollow scribbled down words. The oldest of the pale children preferred writing to sign language to communicate. It was one of the few skills that was retained after imprisonment in the Black Egg. 

**“Where are the Cookies?”** Hollow asked, holding up the paper for Lurien to see.

The one-eyed Watcher could not help but laugh. “The cookies are not ready yet Hollow. Don’t fret though. Watson will bring up to us when they are finished being baked.” Lurien explained to Hollow. 

Lurien preferred using Ian’s middle name when talking with the children. He hoped that it would encourage them to come closer to Ian than they would a butler. Though it was a mere hope indeed. He could not expect them to be so close to Ian as he was after all. Then again, if he had his way, Ian would not be Watson, but Uncle Ian. 

Hollow quickly held up the paper again. **“Cookies are being baked in ovan?”**

Lurien decided to not point out the spelling error. Hollow still had perfection issues. “Yes, they are. Which means they will be arriving very soon.”

Hollow hung their head down before raising it back up again. Lurien had been around far too long to not learn the signs of forced happiness. “Hollow? Is there something you would like to talk to me about? I am willing to listen.” 

Hollow ducked their head to the side for a few seconds, no doubt pondering what course to take. Eventually, Hollow turned back to the paper. **“I wanted to make Cookies with Chef Susan.”** The paper said. 

Ahh…It seemed Hollow had made a friend down in the kitchens, if Chef Dulcis’s first name was being used. “I am sorry Hollow. I did not know you wanted to do that. The next time you come, you may bake the cookies for us with Chef Susan.” 

Hollow immediately perked up. Lurien almost didn’t need to read Hollow’s next words. **“Really??”** The vessel scribbled in disbelief.

“Yes Hollow.” Lurien chuckled. “Here, let us go write down a note so we both remember for your next visit.” 

Lifting himself from the chair, Lurien walked over to another table close to the window. Hollow followed close behind him with a face still full of disbelief. “Now where is that notebook of mine?” Lurien scoured the table, spotting multiple notebooks lying there. 

Thank goodness, it was easy to tell which notebook was which. “Here we go.” Lurien said as he pulled a particular notebook from records of taxes, daily events, and required tasks. The Watcher opened the leather-backed notebook, gripping a green ribbon corresponding to Hollow’s favorite color. The revealed page was in the middle of Hollow’s chapter, detailing all sorts of notes from previous visits. 

Lurien peeked at Hollow, hoping this would reassure the vessel. However, Hollow just stared at the page with eyes boggled. He paused as Hollow carefully began to write again. 

**“You kept all this for ME?”** The poor vessel asked, hand shaking as the paper was held out. 

Now it was Lurien’s turn to be stunned. “Yes I did, Hollow. Every moment we spend together is important to me. Hence, I write down everything so I can always remember our visits.” Surely by now Hollow would know that Lurien cared about them, just as much as Ghost, Hornet, Monomon, Quirrel, and yes, even Herrah. Surely by now? 

Hollow read over the page again and again, putting the notepad down to brush over the paper. Lurien could not help but wonder their reaction to seeing all 12 pages. Hollow pointed to a line three visits back. _“Remember about the blue Balder plushies. Hollow wanted both baby and mama. We only got one today. Will get the baby plushie at next visit.”_

The scarred vessel pointed to Lurien before fixing a finger upon the word remember. The question between them was obvious. “Yes Hollow, I did remember your wish. We got Light Blue two visits ago, remember?” Lurien referenced the baby plushie. 

Thank goodness, Ian arrived at that moment to save Hollow from tears. “I hope I did not keep you both waiting for too long!” Ian raised his voice to reach them. 

Hollow dashed to other side of the room to meet him. Lurien could have almost swore he heard the word **_“Cookies!”_** , but that cannot be right. The Watcher turned to see Hollow attempt to write "please?" before being forced to sign the word instead. Lurien let out a breath at Hollow’s excitement, unaware he was even holding it in the first place. 

The Watcher revolved back to the notebook, eager to finish it before his thoughts were forgotten. With swift strokes of penmanship, a new sentence appeared upon the notebook’s pages. Lurien placed the pen aside as he reached for Hollow’s misplaced notepad. 

When Lurien reached them both, Hollow was munching down cookie after cookie with almost no end in sight. Almost. With each bite, the plate was slowly being revealed from underneath the pile of cookies. 

Lurien could not help but noticed how Hollow glanced at him in-between bites. Hollow’s looks were a mix of worry and confusion. The Watcher knew the vessel well enough to recognize the worry was directed at Hollow themselves instead wariness at him. 

Ian, unaware of the notebook, thought Hollow’s worry was over a break in the routine. “You know Hollow, I pasted Gladios on the way here with the cookie plate. He said that the training yard is ready if you want to go spar.” 

Hollow did brighten up at that. The vessel loved getting stronger through sparring practice. It was one of the things that Hollow right away joyfully wanted to do after allowed a personality. However, both Hornet and Herrah discouraged it at Deepnest due to Hollow’s fragile state. Lurien supposed that was one of the reasons why Hollow first sought him out, being a knight himself. 

“Would you like to go spar now, Hollow?” Lurien asked while holding out the notepad. 

Hollow eagerly took back the notepad. **“Yes please!”** Hollow wrote before placing the notepad within their cloak. The Watcher did not fail to notice Hollow grab another cookie before leaving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks y'all for reading and commenting! (and for all those hits and kudos. My mind boggles at every time I see someone interested in my work.)
> 
> A third chapter is in the works, mostly because my dear friend told me I had enough material to be its own chapter separate from this one. So I posted this chapter so you don't have to wait for me to finish with who knows how many large paragraphs. 😛
> 
> Another thing to note: I been blessed to enter college.   
> Meaning: I got a lot of school work to accomplish which demands my attention.   
> Request: Please be patient and pray for me. College life is rough. 
> 
> While waiting for the next update, please feel free to ask questions and tell me what you think! I am eager to share what I have thought up for this AU and need to improve my writing skills.


	3. Care and Growth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We head off to the training room for some sparring! 
> 
> Also, I finally finished my Finals for this semester!!!

The private training room was off to the side, no obvious entrances opening up into it. This suited Lurien and Hollow just fine. Sometimes, you don’t need all the Watcher Knights and Observing Squires seeing you train. 

The room was built in a rectangle box, though that fact was overlooked by three circles placed upon the stone floor. A smaller circle was placed within a bigger one, all while surrounded by thick ropes tied to the ceiling and floor. The wall was lined up with racks of different sized weapons. High above the weapons rack were torches, unique to all the training rooms. Placed closed to the wall were flat benches ready for rest.

It was to one of these benches that Lurien walked Hollow over to first. Gladios, one of the few remaining Watcher Knights, had prepared training gear for them both. The main gear for Hollow was a simple padded breast plate, meant to protect from unintended damage from training nails. As Lurien helped Hollow put it on, he asked, “Hollow, would you like to wear the other padded gear? Or do you feel confident today?”

Hollow thumped their sole hand at their chest before giving a thumbs up. 

Lurien nodded respectfully. “Very well Hollow.” The Watcher turned to the bench for his own gear. He discarded his outer blue cloak upon the bench before reaching for his own padded breast plate. After he easily fastened the training armor in place, Lurien bent down for another piece of equipment. It was a bundle of straps. He pulled the straps over his head, quickly fastening the straps. Half-way through, Lurien placed his left hand behind his back. The Watcher continued on, firmly locking his left arm in place. However, Lurien fumbled at the last strap, having elected to do this one-handed. 

Another hand reached out to fasten the last strap, momentary startling Lurien. Hollow had walked over to him and caught the strap. The vessel smiled at Lurien, kindness shining past all the facial features that Hollow lacked. 

Working together, they finished all of Lurien’s straps. “Thank you Hollow.” Lurien gratefully said. Hollow just beamed. 

“Alright Hollow.” Lurien said, shaking out his arm. “Proceed to the innermost circle to begin your warmups.” The vessel happily teleported to the smallest circle. 

“ **You will warm-up two?** ” Hollow signed. 

Lurien chuckled. “Do not fret Hollow. I will warm-up with you. I just have not reached the middle circle yet.” The last remark left Hollow silently laughing. “Now, now.” Lurien said, amused. “Start with deep breathes.” 

Hollow began, gulping big gusts of air. “Breathe Hollow. No need to be afraid. Breathe.” Lurien calmly corrected. “Breathe with me. In…Out…In…” The Watcher emphasized with moving his hand towards and away from his chest. 

When they had been breathing steadily for three minutes, Lurien decided they could move on. “Let us begin with the actual warm-ups. Remember Hollow, press down as if there is a real bar in front of you.” Hollow nodded in response as they started the moves.

When Hollow first approached Lurien about sparring, the Watcher knew that Hollow’s body was not ready for that kind of training. Time in the Black Egg left Hollow’s body weakened and damaged. If Hollow jumped into training right away, the body would snap. Since that outcome was most undesirable, Lurien searched for rehabilitation therapy. Eventually, he found a technique that allowed the body to lengthen and stretch without strain. Even better, the technique actually worked! The man who invented the technique had been riddled with paralyzing injures, yet been able to gain back control of his body by stretching. 

So far, the technique had been helping Hollow remarkably. Not only had the vessel gain back the strength lost by imprisonment, but the muscles increased from the time of being the Pure Vessel. Meanwhile, Lurien was just trying to adjust having one arm. 

Soon the warm-ups were over, then the real sparring began. Hollow moved to the middle circle as Lurien retrieved the training nails. The older vessel had come often enough that everyone knew which nail was Hollow’s. The nail was long and heavy, yet refined in elegance. Though Hollow’s nail was beautiful, ones’ eyes glazed over it. Lurien’s nail was lighter than Hollow’s, though he had another just as heavy. His training nail was well cared for, though no polish shone upon it.

“Ready Hollow?” Lurien asked as he handed the vessel the training nail. Hollow nodded affirmative. With that, they readied battle stances. 

The first clash was slow, each blow with a strong breath behind it. The nails banged against each other as they went from knee-height to above knights’ heads. They repeated the excerise, going faster each time. None were real fights, merely recollecting styles and familiarizing themselves with the training nails. 

After the seventh time, Lurien did not pull back his nail from the top. “Shall we?” He asked permission. Hollow responded with a confident aura. 

Lurien suddenly lunged at Hollow’s right knee, only for Hollow to spin away. It was not a simple retreat, for Hollow finished the twirl with a swipe at Lurien’s right shoulder. The Watcher caught Hollow’s nail with his own nail before the blade could reach contact. Within a second, Lurien pushed back Hollow’s nail, forcing the vessel to meet a barrage of strikes with parries. They moved across the middle circle, coming to the edge till Hollow started pushing back. However, as Lurien was pushed back, Hollow began taking wild swings with the nail. There was enough power in the swings so they always met Lurien’s nail, yet the distance between each strike increased with each blow. Noting this, Hollow threw more strength into a strike, only to overshoot by too much power. Lurien, having enough sense to slip aside, slammed Hollow’s shoulders, throwing Hollow to the ground. While the vessel was recovering from the blow, Lurien knocked the training nail out of Hollow’s hand. As Hollow glanced up to see the nail sliding across the floor, the vessel could feel pressure at their back. With Hollow disarmed and nail pointed at the heart, the dual ended. 

“Do you know what you did wrong?” Lurien asked as he pulled back. Hollow nodded while standing up. “Please Hollow, tell me.” Lurien continued. 

The vessel straightened up and turned to face the Watcher. **“I did not teleport when I lost you. So you got me.** ” Hollow signed one-handed.

Lurien shook his head. “If this was a real fight, you should have teleported the moment you lost contact with me. That way you could have controlled the distance. However, this was a duel, not a fight. Furthermore, that is not the reason why you lost the duel.” 

Head tilted, Hollow asked, “ **Than how?** ” 

Without any harshness in tone, Lurien responded. “You lost your self-center by taking those wide swings. The wild power left you unbalanced and open to attack, which anyone can exploit.” 

Hollow perked up. “ **So… I messed up before I missed you?** ” 

Lurien nodded. “The nail is a powerful instrument, yet it is not meant for wild swings. The nail is like a brush, an extension of your mind and body. When you started using it in that clumsy manner, your whole technique faltered as you lost control. Furthermore, it can leave you unbalanced.” The Watcher emphasized the last word, hinting at what got Hollow in trouble.  
“Every warrior needs to be balanced if they wish for any form of success, in combat and at home.” The Watcher explained. “Hence every warrior must learn self-control in temperance if they wish to do well.” The Watcher pointed to Hollow’s stomach. “For combat, you can draw upon the strength in your core for balance. Do you remember what we do in your warm-up?” 

“ **Use my core?** ” Hollow nervously asked. 

Lurien smiled. “Exactly Hollow. You can use that technique in your warm-ups in your duals, fights, and everyday life to stay balanced while using your power.” 

“Now,” Lurien raised up his training nail. “shall we begin again?” Hollow glanced down at the training nail on the floor. After a long look, Hollow went over to pick it up. Bringing the nail up in a challenging stance, Hollow nodded. 

The vessel teleported before the Watcher, nail raised to strike. The blue Watcher quickly met his nail to the oncoming metal, having already expected the blow. Strikes exchanged, neither quite overpowering the other. Lurien predicted every move through studying body language while Hollow threw all strength and skill into the nail. Seeing the blows were not enough, Hollow pushed further into the strikes. Too far…

The vessel unleashed all the reserves, trying to knock Lurien’s nail out of his hand. However, the stroke went too low too fast, leaving Hollow exposed. Lurien, having misjudged the swing, slammed his nail into Hollow’s mask. Hollow’s blind side of the mask. 

**………………………………**

The vessel was violently thrown across the room, sliding far on the floor. “ _H!_ ” The force of the swing already left Hollow unbalanced, the blow caused by Lurien knocked all sense out of the vessel. “ _OLL_ ” The whole room spun as pain pounded on Hollow’s mask. “ _W!_ ”

Within seconds, Hollow felt something firm pick them up. “ _Ar_ ” Fabric brushed against their mask as they felt themselves be laid back down. “ _ou_ ” Through the pain, they noted a solid wall on one side of their mask. “ _ay?_ ” They rolled towards the wall, finding it comfortable. Hollow snuggled their mask into the wall, discovering a way past the pain. 

“Hollow, please, please answer me. Are you okay?” Lurien’s voice broke through the waves of pain. 

Hollow opened their eyes, though only one could see. The wall that was their bedrock was Lurien’s leather breastplate. The vessel turned their mask up to see Lurien’s face. Through hidden by a mask, Lurein’s worry was visible all over his face. Hollow rested in Lurien’s lap, keeping a steady gaze on the Watcher’s mask. 

“ **I… am okay.** ” Hollow signed with their one hand. They meant it. The dizziness was fading away and the pain was lessening now that Hollow could focus. 

The Watcher was not convinced. Or rather refused to be. The Pale King would have though…  
“Hollow, where does it hurt?” Lurien asked, though he already knew the answer. 

The vessel brough a hand to the pain. “ **Here…At my head.** ”

“What kind of pain?” Lurien pressed on. 

Hollow thought, trying hard to give Lurien the truth. “ **Pain…Pounding. But…lessening. No crack in my mask. No leaking void.** ” Hollow fixed their eyes on Lurien’s sole eye. “ **Only lost one mask.** ” Hollow smiled at the Watcher, trying to reassure him.  
Lurien’s fast-beating heart refused to be reassured.

The Watcher asked, “Do you have enough SOUL to heal?” Without missing a beat, he continued. “If you need some more, you can have mine.” Lurien brought his nail to Hollow’s hand. 

Hollow pushed Lurien’s nail away. With a breath, the vessel FOCUSed on their own SOUL. There was more than enough to heal them. “ **See? Better.”** Hollow signed to Lurien when their body was completely healed. 

Lurien let out a sigh, his shoulders slightly relaxing. “Let’s have you sit down for now.” He spoke firmly, motioning to one of the benches. 

It was tricky getting off the floor, but Hollow was used to working with one hand. It was easier with Lurien helping them. The vessel did not argue as Lurien led them both to the bench. The Watcher carefully helped Hollow sit down, far too careful for Hollow to understand why. 

“Deep breaths Hollow.” Lurien reminded. This environment was safe, Hollow thought. 

“ **You too.** ” Hollow signed to Lurien, patting the spot right next to them on the bench. 

The Watcher sighed before sitting down beside Hollow. Easily, they both fell into a rhythm with their deep breaths. The agitation and anxiety caused by the fall flowed out with each breath. 

“Hollow?” Lurien whispered. 

Hollow’s head turned to look at the Watcher. His form was bent over, hand gripping his knee. Every breath was deliberate, as if breathing was the only thing the Watcher could focus on. 

“Are you truly okay?” Lurien asked, his voice still quiet. 

Hollow nodded excitedly. Their body was healed, all the pain gone and mind sharp once more. Why did he ask the question though? Wasn’t it already answered on the floor?

Lurien gasped, fading into a sob. His head went lower, caught by his hand before reaching his knees. The Watcher refused to turn his mask towards Hollow, rubbing it deeper into the palm of his hand.

Startled, Hollow started shaking Lurien’s back. When Lurien didn’t respond, the vessel grabbed him into a hug. Herrah’s hugs always made them feel better, especially when they were crying. 

Eventually, Lurien shifted his hand from his mask to Hollow’s arm upon his chest. “Hollow?” he began. “Do you forgive me?”  
Huh?? This made no sense to the vessel. What did Lurien have to be sorry about?

“Hollow, do you forgive me for hurting you?” Lurien clarified, though Hollow did not sign out the question. 

Hollow pulled away. “ **What do you need to be sorry about? It was a spar and an accident.** ” Hollow signed to Lurien. When the Watcher looked unconvinced, Hollow signed slowly. “ **A. C. C. I. D. E. N. T.** ” 

“I still hurt you…” Lurien looked away from Hollow. 

Is this what Hollow was like whenever they were beating themselves up for being bad? Lurien was not bad and didn’t deserve this. Hollow knew this. Hollow had to tell him. 

Hollow pulled up their body in their best Hornet expression, complete with a steely glare. With as much conviction as their sister, Hollow signed. “ **Yes, you hurt me. But it was an accident. You didn’t even hurt me that bad! I…** ” The vessel stopped as Lurien’s sad glance turned their way. What could reassure him that everything was fine? 

_“Sometimes, just fine is in the present moment is not enough. That is because, dear Hollow, we can let our past consume our present. Then, to be free from the past, we have to move on to the future to gain back our present.”_ Monomon’s words came back to the vessel. 

“ **I’ll forgive you if you forgive yourself.** ” Hollow signed to Lurien. 

“ _Now Ghost, you have to forgive him. No, don’t give me that look. I am not asking you to forget all the evil things he did to you and your siblings. Yes, those were truly evil acts the Pale King committed; in fact, I will be the first to call the Wyrm out on his sins. But you must let go of your anger if you want the pain to stop. Forgiveness is just as much about yourself as it is about the offender. No… it is more about yourself. Forgiveness is about letting the pain and anger go so healing can flow to both sides. Even if the Pale King will never hear your words or repent of his sins, forgiving him will relieve your own torture. I promise, if you do forgive him, you can march forward without his bloody shadow hanging over you. If you do not, I can assure you that the Pale King will keep on hurting you, even if he is truly dead._ ” A memory resurfaced of Lurien teaching Ghost. 

Lurien stumbled aback in shock at Hollow’s offer. “I…”

Hollow repeated the sign. “ **I’ll forgive you if you forgive yourself.** ” 

Lurien shook his head, though in surprise, not denial. He stopped, his sole eye gazing someplace beyond the wall. With a chuckle, Lurien looked up towards the ceiling and let out a long breath. His whole body relaxed, from his tight shoulders to the steel grip his hand had on his knees. 

“Thank you Hollow, for everything.” Lurien spoke, finally at a normal volume.

Hollow smiled. Lurien was better at last! “ **You’re welcome!** ” Hollow signed. They sat there on the bench, content. “ **Can we go back to sparing now?** ” Hollow signed to Lurien after a few minutes. 

Lurien chuckled. “Only if you wear your helmet.” He said with a smile.

“ **No!** ” Hollow wailed. “ **I just graduated from the helmet!** ” 

“Oh no, you didn’t.” Lurien spoke, laughing all the while. “We said we’ll try sparing without the rest of your training gear. We did not say you no longer have to use training gear. Obviously, you still need your gear.” 

Hollow let out an exasperated sigh, ending dramatically by resting head on a hand. “ **Only way?** ” Hollow signed. When Lurien nodded, Hollow gave an exaggerated groan. “ **Fine…** ” Hollow signed before going off to find the silly helmet. 

Lurien called after Hollow, “If you hurry, we can spar for the next two hours!” Hollow ran to see if it could be pushed to three.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, there was only ONE instance of someone crying in my outline.  
> We have not reached that event yet...
> 
> On a brighter note,  
> I added in a bit of worldbuilding and Easter eggs.
> 
> The Observing Squires are those young boys who are training to be Watcher Knights. Lurien's household is still growing, even after the Infection and the lost of six out of eight of the Watcher Knights. There are three Observing Squires right now; I will see if I can sneak them in somehow. ( _if you ask nicely, I can tell you their names_ 😄)
> 
> There are Easter Eggs to the Mask of Zerro, real life fencing, Church teaching on forgiveness, and a dance style that I had the pleasure to learn.  
> I will give out 🍪🍪s to whomever can identify the real-life man who came up with the warm-ups that Hollow and Lurien were doing.

**Author's Note:**

> Please don't forget to comment what you think!


End file.
